12:05 AM Eastern
Not a team that can hit home runs. The Blue Jays used to be able to do that, but they don’t that often anymore, and they just lost their 7th in a row to a team that went 0-for-0 with runners in scoring position. Three home runs, each with a runner on first, and off the Pirates went to their insurmountable lead.
I believe the Jays are now 1-24 this season in games in which they’ve been behind by three runs at any time.
Two transactions to touch on, because I really don’t want to talk about the game other than to remind people who thought that Jesse Litsch was going to the all-star game or going to win the Cy Young that mid-May is no time to judge how good a player is.
1 – Shaun Marcum is placed on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation and Adam Lind is recalled from Syracuse.
Marcum’s injury is very, very scary. The Jays are trying to put the best spin possible on it (shut down for 7-10 days, then a rehab start, then he’s back), but Marcum is going to go see Mr. Tommy John himself, Dr. James Andrews, on Monday. That doesn’t mean that Marcum blew his elbow ligament in Milwaukee on Wednesday, it’s always good to send you guys to the best to get checked out, but it also means that this injury is not just routine nothing soreness.
Lind is back, hopefully to play a whole whack of left field (though he didn’t play today). The last time he was brought up they said he wouldn’t be here if not to play, so I’m assuming he gets the lion’s share of the time in left, and not just 19 at-bats worth. The speed of his call-up relative to the managerial change makes one wonder if there was something about him that Gibby didn’t like. Lind’s presence should mean that Brad Wilkerson takes a permanent seat on the bench, or maybe plays left against certain lefties.
2 – Kevin Mench is designated for assignment and Brandon League is recalled from Syracuse.
Mench just didn’t work out. He was a guy who had mashed lefties his whole career, but came here and couldn’t do it at all. He hit .214/.286/.262 against lefties in close to 50 plate appearances without a home run. There’s nothing else in his game that warrants him being here besides his ability to crush lefties, so there you go. A low-risk, high-reward gamble that didn’t pay off, and bait is cut after just over a month.
Mench was brought in to platoon with Matt Stairs at DH, and that job can now go to one of Rod Barajas or Gregg Zaun. Or, Lord help us, David Eckstein.
League’s return coincides with Cito’s, since Gaston probably took a look at the bullpen and asked for another righty who could get some people out on a regular basis. League had allowed 46 baserunners in 34 1/3 innings with the Chiefs, striking out 32. He may still be behind Brian Wolfe and Shawn Camp in the pecking order of righties in the ‘pen, but now there are four righties to go with the four lefties in an (gulp) eight-man bullpen. It’ll likely stay that way until Saturday, when they need a starter to fill in for Marcum. League is a good test of the brilliance of both Brad Arnsberg and Bruce Walton. He has all the talent in the world – can they get him back to his dominating form of a couple of years ago, pre-surfing lat thing? You know what I think – it’s up to League himself.
Here’s tonight’s edition of The JaysTalk:
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Comments are welcome, as always. Remember, Sunday means The Blue Jays This Week at 7:05 pm Eastern. We’ll delve into the Flashback-to-move-forward Friday, as well as hear from Reed Johnson and Shaun Marcum, who answers 10 questions. Hopefully, Dr. Andrews will ask better ones.
86 Responses to “Who Needs A Hit With Runners In Scoring Position?”
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“Mench just didn’t work out. He was a guy who had mashed lefties his whole career, but cane here and couldn’t do it at all.”
What do you mean he “cane” here? Was he on the sugar bus?
Seriously though, a few years back, didn’t JP try to offer him a few million to come to TO when he was on the roids and spanking out 30 homers?
MW: Oooh, got me on a typo. Well done. Mench hasn’t been a free agent, so J.P. never offered him anything to come here. And I hope you have proof in order to make that accusation about Mench.
- MatthewHey Mike
If Marcum is done, and i hope he is not, would you concede that maybe it is time to start the process of reloading for 09? The pitching, although still very good, seems to be coming back down to earth a bit and the offense just isn’t going to produce as some anticipated. Give Lind the LF spot for the remainder of the year, in preparation for next season, and explore possible deals for AJ. There might be some contenders interested in Eckstein (St.Louis) as well.
MW: If Marcum is done, I’d still like to see what happens over the next three weeks, but yes, I’m a lot more inclined to say let’s explore some trade possibilities with guys who aren’t going to be here next year.
- rickMike:
Don’t want to be picky BUT…three transactions? I count two or four.
Steve
MW: Yeah, I should have changed that. I was going to talk about the minor trade with Pittsburgh for Jonah Bayliss, but decided against it. In fact, I’m going to go change it now.
- SteveWWhat was the third transaction?
MW: See above.
- MarkDammit! They can’t REAALLY be THIS bad can they?
Love the Cito hiring, but these sure aren’t the days of W-A-M-C-O and company that Cito had in his hay-days with the Blue Birds :(
U gotta believe they can get better. I mean come on, you can only really go up from here…Can’t you????????
MW: You’d think so.
- slomo76Hello Mike,
I have a question about the injury problems related to the pitchers on this team. It seems to me that over the past few years there have been quite a number of injuries to the staff. While I understand that these things do happen and that some of the injuries have been cmpletely non pitching related (eg. Roy’s appendectomy) but I still feel that we are marching a large number of arms to the DL. There were quite a few last year and this year it has been Wolfe, Accardo, and now Marcum. (I may have missed one but I’m not sure)
My question is do you think the coaching staff or the training staff have anything to do with it? Now I’m not suggesting that they would intentionally sabotage their arms but I’m not sure they are managing the pitchers well enough off the field. I certainly don’t have any concrete evidence of this, just a feeling, recognizing a pattern and one specific comment from arnsberg at the end of last year. In September when Marcum went down I seem to recall Brad blasting Marcum for his conditioning program which then led to the injury. This doesn’t make sense to me because personally I wouldn’t want our pitchers to have anything to do with developing a conditioning program. That is why we have the likes of George Poulis and Brad Arnsbrg on the team isn’t it? I know that is not their sole job but it should be part of it shouldn’t it? Maybe I’m wrong but I feel like our pitchers should be given a program to follow in which case the only time the can be criticized in that area is if they simply slack off. What do you think?
Thanks Mike,
love the blog, keep it coming!
MW: I have a hard time believing that the injuries have anything to do with the coaching. Marcum tore cartilage in his knee last year, I can’t imagine that had anything to do with his conditioning program. Four pitching injuries in the first four months of the season (including Spring Training) is not a big deal, it’s probably even below average.
- ChristianHi Mike
How ya doin?
-
I’m fine thanks
-
That said, Love the Blog – The Jays Talk – appreciate your consistency and to quote Bill Clinton “I feel your pain”.
Adam Lind is probably not the second coming of Ted Williams but he deserves to be up in the majors. Glad to see it.
- Larry SiposIf you wanted to hear Toronto’s version of Waldorf and Statler, Mulnicks and Barfield did a pretty good job tonight. Yeesh. I missed Elliotte Friedman terribly.
Since his return from the DL, Eckstein has started to put together the kind of high pitch count at bats you’d want to see from a lead off hitter. I hope he gets another shot up there he is starting to look like the Eckstein of old @ the plate.
MW: The Eckstein of old wasn’t a good enough on-base guy to hit leadoff, though.
- Jasonmike, do you think rolen’s contract is tradeable? if not then it’s a horrible trade. and you contradicted yourself again. you said ash inherited a world series team and then said gillick left because he knew the team would be horrible. how can you be a horrible world series team?
MW: You can’t be a horrible World Series team, but you can win a World Series and then become bad in a hurry if you’re not managed properly. Please, if you’re going to tell me I’m contradicting myself, find an actual contradiction. Rolen’s contract is probably tradeable.
- roccoMichael of the Ballyard:
Richard Griffin wrote that Godfrey was ‘furious’ about Ricciardi’s radio remarks re: Dunn & questioning of fans’ intelligence. Are you aware of the details of said fury? The only time I’ve heard of it was that bit in passing in his column.
MW: I’m not, but I haven’t talked to Paul Godfrey about it. I don’t think he would have told Griff that he was furious.
- JCLDo you think Cito will handle Lind like he did Green, not allowing him to face a lefty?
MW: You never know, but I doubt it.
- AriMike, not only were the pirates 0-0 with runners in scoring position. did you check out their left on base? zero. zilch. anyone who got on either scored or got erased. i dont think ive ever seen a game when a team scored six runs and yet left noone on.
another interesting stat. during the jays 7 game losing streak, they have never held a lead for even a half inning. they have been either tied or behind every inning of every game. i think thats so pathetic it’s almost impressive. even teams in the throws of a slump generally go up 1-0 for a blip of time. not these guys. they have been very consistent with not scoring first..or at least not scoring till they are safely behind.
rios looked like his gains from yesterday were a mirage. he pulled off pitches very emphatically in three plate appearances with weak rollers hit to the left side. he needs to hit the bottom half of the freakin ball. whats really weird is how he’s pulling off on lefites and righties.
lastly, regarding your comment about batters vs pitchers being on steroids..i dont think you are correct in stating that steroids/hgh more obviously would help pitchers than hitters. velocity and strength are only loosely correlated. the ability to hit a ball FAR is much more directly correlated to strength. how did pedro throw as hard as he did all those years? how did roy oswalt? how does jason frasor? lincecum? flash gordon in his prime? i could go on and on. yet power hitters are almost always big and strong. not only that, but when a smaller player bulks up, they hit more homers. i think the roids and hgh would more consistently benefit a hitter..although im sure it DOES benefit some pitchers..the relathionship is just not as clear.
MW: I disagree, especially since one of the key components to steroid use is that it allows the user to recover faster, and for a pitcher, that’s a huge key. Pedro threw as hard as he did all those years because his legs are really freakin’ strong, likewise those other guys.
- sammyMarcum is the future. We are going to have to be very careful with him and I’m glad that’s what we’re doing.
It’s about time Lind came back, and I suggest that the problem may have been with JP rather than Gibbons, because Lind came up regularly last year and started coming up this year and then stopped. We haven’t heard anything about a problem with Gibbons, and at this point I suspect Cito is calling the shots as to who comes up and who sticks around. He was special advisor to Godfrey after all. In fact I like Cito for Ricciardi’s job at the end of the season.
Mench is another nail in what will be Ricciardi’s gold-plated coffin. He can have a little Level Of Excellence in there with flags labelled Koskie! Thomas! Mench! I know KM didn’t cost a thing, but it would have been better to keep Lind around for playing time as soon as it became obvious that Mench wasn’t working out. And that was a month ago at least.
As for the game, at this point I think the offensive learning curve is so great that I don’t look for anything much from the team in the way of runs or wins for at least two to three weeks. Even then, I doubt we’ll see much improvement. So losing to Pittsburgh didn’t hurt too much. I didn’t expect much else. The off-season is where things will happen, although we have a couple of big contracts that might hamper us. I think we should start unloading for prospects asap. We don’t have much in the farm and that’s where the winning team will come from. When we get a winning team. I’ve waited 15 years. I can wait a while longer for a credibly contending team with a clear lead-off guy, a good middle of the order and reasonably able hitters at the back end. And something else? What is it? Oh yes! A DH who can H. (I know we disagree on this, but I still think Delgado might be the one to call upon. He can’t do much now but he can hit the odd homer and he always hit ‘em out at the RC.)
MW: You and I will continue to agree to disagree. I have no use for a hitter who can’t do much except hit the odd homer. And why would Cito be a good fit as a general manager?
- reyesBy the way Cito is the youngest 64 year old I’ve ever seen. He looks like he’s 45!
Mike, I am really really concerned about the Jays talk. What are you gonna write for the next 80-odd games? They are all gonna be the same i.e miserable hitting. Have you thought of some extra curricular stuff to keep us fans interested? I am sure by now you’ve gone tired talking about RISP over and over again.
MW: I’m very tired of it, but don’t worry about the JaysTalk. Baseball is a beautiful, fluid thing. You never know what you’re going to get on a daily basis. The Blue Jays will start to hit soon, and will start to win. Can they get back in the race? That’s something that might be interesting to watch over the next couple of months.
- BeburgMike, your preamble mentions “three” transactions, but you actually discuss only two.
Did you forget one (if so what was it), or was the “three” a miscount?
MW: I decided against including the third, and forgot to go back up and change the body of the post.
- NormIf there was any lingering doubt as to whether Parrish or Purcey would be called up to pitch in place of Marcum, it was probably put to rest with Purcey’s start yesterday, when he gave up 7 runs in the second inning.
- Norm(Although it must be said that he did settle down and end up going 7 innings, with no further damage). Year to date ERA now up to 2.94 (still pretty darn good, for that league!)
Who’s the frontrunner to cover for Marcum while he’s out? Do you think they’ll give Purcey another shot, or does John Parrish get a chance this time? Or someone else?
And what’s the ETA on Stewart’s return?
MW: It’ll be either Purcey or Parrish, I think, and Norm above thinks it’s definitely Parrish. I would think that Stewart will be out at least until the all-star break.
- TyWell its about time Lind is back up, hopefully longer this time around. I hope they don’t rush Marcum back, this team is showing no signs of turning this around anytime soon. Do you think they would bring up Purcey to replace Marcum in the rotation or are they looking at someone else?
MW: See above.
- DaveGood morning Mike, hope you’re well. I managed to hear most of JaysTalk last night, as we were driving home from a barbeque, so that was a nice bonus to a depressing game. Regarding the caller who satated that Denbo may have been the sole reason for the offensive horrendousosity, I agree with you. I didn’t like his ‘pass the baton’ approach, but how on earth can this sort of landslide be the fault of only one guy, especially one who never actually steps up to the plate? Good response, to bring up when he almost batting coached the world champs.
My question today is this: You mentioned that Jerry was broadly hinting that Parrish would be the likely call up over Purcey, which makes sense, but I’m curious about whether they might fill the position from within, so to speak. I recall a couple years back Tallet spot started for Lilly who woke up with a stiff neck. Also as I recall, Tallet didn’t do too badly at all. Is that an option that you think they might explore, or is the likely longer term injury to Marcum going to mean a more stable alternative? I have a feeling I may have just answered my own question, but I’m still interested in knowing your opinion. Thanks Mike.
MW: That spot start by Tallet wasn’t that good. He didn’t give up a hit but walked four, and didn’t make it out of the 3rd inning. With eight guys in the bullpen, the Jays could go with a “Charlie Wholestaff” start, but I think they’d rather take a look at Parrish.
- kitaMike,
Could you please clarify a number of issues;
1.Who initiated Gibbons et al dismissals?
2.Whose choice was it to hire Cito?
3. Does Cito answer to JP?
4. Will JP continue to “air” on Jays Talk?
5. Do you think it would have been better for Cito to become GM and Gibbons continue managing?
Again,my condolences for your family loss.
MW: I believe Paul Godfrey is the answer to the first two questions. I think answer to the next two would be yes, and I don’t know why Cito would be a good candidate to be a GM.
- MarkHi Mike,
I am a huge Jays fan and I am disgusted at how this team plays. I’m starting to get the feel that our pitching is starting to go downhill. If we didn’t have such good pitching this year, God knows how bad this team is. This off-season I’m expecting the Jays to fire JP and bring a new look offense in here. Every time there is two outs in an inning, I lose hope. I can honestly not think of one clutch two out hit all year Mike. I love your show Mike and it’s always nice to listen to your show after games
MW: I’m sorry that they’ve gotten to you so badly that you’ve forgotten about all the good things that have happened. Not one clutch two-out hit? Joe Inglett’s Grand Slam on Thursday was pretty clutch. So were Rod Barajas’ two-out go-ahead homer in the 7th against the Angels, Gregg Zaun’s two-out two-run homer against the Royals, Scott Rolen’s two-out RBI double in the 1st against KC and Alex Rios’ two-out RBI single in the 7th of the same game. Then there was Brad Wilkerson’s two-out Grand Slam in the first inning the day before. The day before that, Marco Scutaro had a pair of two-out, two-run singles. So there’s eight clutch two-out hits, and that’s just over the last month, when they’ve been playing really badly. Just to try to improve your mood.
- WarrenHi Mike,
First, Cameron o Cameron where ever you are go find a tree to bark to.
This was never a John Gibbons problem this is a John Paul Ricciadi problem. Fox, SI, ESPN, Toronto Globe & Star, TSN parts of 590 think so too, only you Mike. Listening to you on Jays talk last night defending him with blind eyes was really bad. Using the signing of Barajas as the reason not to fire John Paul is ridiculous. John Paul is responsible for the lack of talent on this team. Keep defending him until he’s fired and look foolish again.
MW: The talent is responsible for the lack of talent on this team. Wait. There’s plenty of talent on this team. The talent is responsible for the lack of production. There, that’s better.
- brunoHey Mike
Just a couple of things I want to touch on.
First I am glad to see Adam Lind get another chance with the Jays, I think you are right about Gibby having some sort of issue with Lind, I think Cito is a perfect guy to help a guy like Lind complete his development.
Second, I am a little confused about Cito’s role with the club. I ahve heard from different sources that Cito is only here as the interim manager and others say that he is the permanent manager going forward. Since I trust your knowledge of the club more than any other source, is Cito the permanent manager or just the interim manager for the rest of the season?
MW: Cito is the interim manager, but will be considered for the full-time job in the off-season.
- AndrewHumm..I am starting to think that you are the last man on the face of the earth that belives J.P Riccardi has done a good job as general manager of the Jays..
J.P Riccardi is without a doubt the worst GM in Blue Jay history…Say what you want about Gord Ash’s ability to field a winning team, at least he knew how to draft players..He left Riccardi with a team rich in prospects..When Riccardi took over in 2001, their farm system was ranked in the top 10 by Baseball America..Under Riccardi they have dropped to 25th..It should also be noted that Riccardi fired many of those scouts once he took over..
Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, Dustin Mcgowan all drafted by Ash..Aaron Hill and perhaps Shawn Marcum are the only players drafted by Riccardi to have any real impact with the Jays..That’s 6 drafts, 300 rounds and two players worth noting..Wow J.P thats really impressive..Lets hear your excuses for that..We have heard lots of them over the last 7 years..I guess the entire farm system has had injuries too..Right?
How about this collection of stiffs all acquired by Riccardi : Russ Adams, Alex Gomez, Chris Woodward, Tomo Ohka, John Thompson, Victor Zambrano,Tanyon Sturtze, Frank Menechino, Eric Hinske, Josh Towers, Pat Hentgan, Terry Adams, Cory Lidle, Cory Koskie, Sal Fasano, Bobby Keilty, Tony Batista, Kevin Cash and Strayrods buddy, Howie Clark..
He spent 55 million on Burnett,20 million on Frank Thomas and least we forget the wad of cash he blew on laughing boy Eric Hinske..
Chris Carpenter, Jayson Werth, Kelvin Escobar and Michael Young were deemed not good enough by Riccardi and one of them won a Cy young award..Sure J.P has done a few good things..B.J. Ryan and Accardo come to mind..But not much else..The pitching is good but when you have Halladay as your ace why wouldn’t it be? 7 years of mediocrity is enough..The wrong guy go fired..
MW: Who is Alex Gomez? Gord Ash traded Michael Young, not Ricciardi. The Jays wanted Escobar back, but didn’t have the payroll to keep him, and Ricciardi had no choice but to let Carpenter go. But that’s OK, believe what you want to believe. You might want to check Ash’s draft record seven years into his tenure, though. One of our fine commenters did a whole research project about it at the end of last month.
- RayDo you think the designation of Thomas, the demotion of Lind after 19 AB, the firing of Gibby , Whitt, and Pevey, and Denbo, the designation of Mench is a bit hurried??
The Jays have done quite a bit in drastic roster changes for a start of season to June 22 span.
Is it too hurried? Do you like the moves? Were they correct? Will these changes at least help the Jays keep in contention?
MW: It’s funny, because so many of the Jays’ critics were saying “why don’t they do something” up until Friday. The Jays aren’t in contention right now, they have to get back there.
- SunkendPr0I am starting to get the feeling that JP’s days are numbered thankfully. You say that it is not Gibbons fault the team was not performing which is true. But the blame should be placed on Ricciardi and the players he has brought in. he knew last year that the Jays were a weak offensive club. Was trading Glaus for Rolen really going to make a huge difference? He has had seven years here to make them competitive and he has failed. Even read what Ernie Whitt had to say in the Sun today. Riciardi is very lucky that Godfrey likes him.
MW: I saw Ernie’s comments. I’m not allowed to say anything about Ernie. The Jays shouldn’t be a weak offensive club.
- aviGood job, Litsch! Bravo!
MW: Weren’t you touting him for a Cy Young a month ago?
- Vito From HamiltonHey Mike,
What happens now that Marcum is out for the near future and Litsch appears to be cooling off? Burnett hasn’t been stellar and I’m not completely sold on McGowan just yet. In addition to this, who knows how much that blow to Halladay’s head is going to affect him? I know it’s very easy to kick a team while it’s down, but I’m having a very difficult time believing we will come back from this considering the pitching seems like it might be cooling down and the bats aren’t warming up to compensate.
Every time I felt like the sky was falling earlier in the season, I’d tune in to your post-game show so you could shed some light on the pessimism… any chance you can do that again today?
MW: The bats will come around. That’s all I can tell you.
- Dan C.It’s a good thing the Jays are going through this losing streak early in the season so there’s lots of time to make up ground on all those teams ahead of them.
As you’ve said many times Mike, teams aren’t as bad as they look when they’re losing and not as good as they look when they’re winning. So the Jays aren’t as bad as a 15-31 team (April & June) and not as good as a 20-10 team (May). Now, I’m no mathematician but I’m thinking that makes them somewhere between a 79-82 win team for the season. No wild card possibility as most objective people assumed.
MW: We shall see, but they’ve got a heck of a lot of work to do.
- Peter B.Mike,
Further to the facts I’ve outlined elsewhere in the blog, please note Whitt took dead aim at JP in the Sun today.
Sometime later this week – maybe on your show if he’s still allowed by Godfrey to go on it – I expect JP will let it slip/leak out that Cito didn’t want Whitt back.
Count on it.
MW: Why is that?
- ChrisYo Mike. Why the hell did JP fire Ernie Whitt? Ernie Whitt know what it feels like to be a Canadian. He is the heart and soul of the blue jays. Ernie Whitt cares a lot more about this team then anyone else. If this were up to fans, Ernie Whitt would still be a member of this ballclub. Man, is JP ever anti-Canadian. JP can’t appricate what Mr. Whitt has done for baseball in Canada.
MW Ernie Whitt is not Canadian. J.P. fired Whitt because, I assume, he didn’t think he was a good coach.
- antonErnie Whitt also empzize what it means to be a blue jay in this country. He has a lot kmore passion then any of the stiffs here on this ballclub.
MW: Empzize?
- antonWhy aren’t you allowed to say anything about Whitt?
MW: The esteemed Mr. Whitt is not to be criticized.
- Shawn” I have no use for a hitter who can’t do much except hit the odd homer. And why would Cito be a good fit as a general manager?”
The team needs a dose of tranquillity and quietude. Gaston knows the team and the culture of the front office. He’s not volatile and he’s not beholden to any mentor/former boss in the way Ricciardi seemed to spend his first two or three years talking solely to Billy Beane. Yes, there are better qualified GMs but I doubt the really good ones are available.
As for Delgado, I think he will come fairly cheap and he does hit well in the RC. Hitting the odd homer would not be particularly useful if the rest of the team could hit much. But they can’t. So hitting the odd homer might come in handier than it would if Wells, Rios etc were hitting them as well. Also Delgado probably won’t be overly upset by Riccardi’s antics on your show. That stuff he came up with has had some come-back and not just from Adam Dunn. OK, Ricciardi will be on a rail out of town shortly, but the stink will stick around for a while. Do a deal with the Mets, say I. And bring Delgado back where quite a few of the fans remember him fondly. Me, I was never a big fan of the guy, but he surely could hit.
Talking of which, nice to see Lind hit a homer…
MW: He surely could hit, but he surely hasn’t been doing so the last couple of years. How much back to the future can the Jays do, anyway? As far as Cito the GM, that position isn’t an entry-level one.
- reyesMike:
Just curious … you said in your answer to post #26 that “you’re not allowed to say anything about Ernie”. Why exactly is that? You’ve told many people here that you can say whatever you want and that you wouldn’t have taken the job if you were told what to say. Has that suddenly changed
MW: See above.
- Peter B.I just read Ernie’s comments and I must admit I’m disappointed. While we all love Ernie, we love him from the memory of his playing days. Was he a good player? Yea. Was he a good coach? I have no idea.
The fact that ernie reacted the way he did shows an immaturity towards the coaching profession and an arrogance with respect to his place in the business. He was simply a coach and when a new manager comes in, one has to expect that the coaches will also be replaced. Maybe Cito didn’t want to work with him. Maybe JP didn’t like him. Maybe he was simply not as good a coach as he thought he was. Regardless, he shouldn’t be surprised, let alone outraged.
To top it all off, his last statement says it all. “I still feel I’m the best manager Toronto never hired.” Based on what? His Team Canada performance?
Ernie should take a lesson from Cito – a man who won back to back world series and then didn’t work for 14 years. If anyone can make that kind of statement, it’s Cito. But he didn’t. He took the high road and waited for another opportunity. With no major league experience outside of the WBC, Ernie is basing his claim on his own inflated beliefs and analysis of his abilities.
So long, Ernie. You won’t be missed.
- ronMike, the problem with JP is that he’s an average GM. He’s not nearly as bad as his haters think he is and he’s not nearly as good as you think he is. For an NL team? Sure, he’d probably be fine. But this is the AL East son, and here you need a GREAT GM.
A case could be made that JP is the worst GM in this division. Here’s how I would rank them:
1) The Boy Wonder
2) Andrew Friedman
3) $Cashman$ (though I’d like to see what he could do with an average payroll)
4) Andy McPhail
5) JP
What do you think sunshine?
MW: Why is Andrew Friedman second?
- Jay MoneyHi Mike, A T-Storm here in the
Steel city knocked off Cable and the game. Last I checked it was 4 to 4. Stand Pat Gillick has been a winner every where he has gone! He was Seattles GM in 2001 when they won 116 games, tho my former Indians still hold the all time record of 714 winning PCT. in 1954 (111-43)Seattles is .712 He took over Plilly about 2 years ago when they were celler dwellers and look where they are now; now we have to play Boston, NY and Philadelphia every year. Above you said something about the Jays trading for Bayliss, that sounds like the wrong Bay to me, WE WANT BAY! the left fielder, not Bayliss. I’d trade Rios and Wells for him. Would you?
Anybody solid in Texas or Houston that we could trade Wells for?
MW: I would not trade Wells and Rios for Bay – did you really think I would?
- Grant LaryHey Mike, I wrote Philly, not pilly! the fault lies at your end. Did you read where Ernie Whitt said that JP never talked to him once during all his years here. Maby that caller who said Ernie Whitt might be the next GM may know something we don’t know.
MW: The fault for a typo of yours lies at my end?
- Grant LaryWhy is Friedman second? I don’t know, have you checked the standings? Have you seen the young talent his team has? Have you watched baseball at all this year?
MW: But if J.P. doesn’t get any credit for having Halladay, Wells, Rios and McGowan, how can Friedman get any credit for how the Rays are doing? He drafted Evan Longoria and traded for Matt Garza. Carl Crawford’s not his, nor is B.J. Upton, James Shields, Andy Sonnanstine, etc.
- Jay MoneyMike:
Eckstein should be leading off. His OBA is .364 (lifetime over .350) He also batted leadoff for a championship team. Only Lyle Overbay has a better on base at .369.
I never understood why he was moved to #9.
MW: Because he doesn’t get on base enough to be a lead off man. Devon White also batted leadoff for a championship team – two, actually, but he wasn’t a real lead-off man, either.
- Jim Bhey mike you just have to hope they dont rush back marcum to save the sesaon if thats what they need becuase id rather lose the sesoan then lose a great young pitcher. what do you think there gonna do about marcum and who do you think there going to call up for him
MW: I don’t think they’ll rush Marcum, your other question has already been answered a few times.
- jeremyi just want to say one thing everyone is saying be like the yankees but if you think about it almost every player on the yankees is an old player and they dont have that good pitching i would rather be the cubs or the red sox not the yankees
- jeremyLet’s say Team A has a great pitching staff, and Team B has a great offense, both of which are locked up for a couple of years. Is it in any way conceivable that these teams would essentially swap offenses one year and then pitching staffs the next (along with reverting back to the old offenses) in order to- at least on paper- provide each team with a one year shot with a loaded roster? Or does the deal immediately fall apart when the GMs involved start to haggle over who gets to go first?
MW: I don’t think major-league baseball would allow such a thing.
- AdamMike:
I heard you say on Jays talk that “the team has now turned things around” and I have to say I’m going to reserve judgement on that since this was 1 game following a 7 game losing streak and a 7th consecutive series loss. Let’s remember that Pittsburgh is a sub .500 team and has the second worst runs against in baseball next to Texas. The Jays are still looking at a 5-14 month so we’ll see if they’ve turned things around over the next 6 games at home against 2 more mediocre teams.
MW: You didn’t hear me say on The JaysTalk that “the team has now turned things around.” You may have heard me say, “I’m not saying the team has now turned things around” or “Let’s hope the team has now turned things around” or “It’d be nice if the team has now turned things around.”
- Peter B.So what if Ernie Whitt not Canadian. He’s played in Canada for a long time.
MW: You said he was Canadian. He isn’t.
- antonMike
Cito as manager,boy did that come left field! The preformance of this team has nothing to with Gibbons. The players should be ashamed of how this happened. If they an ounce of pride,they stop choking and start playing. Show some fortitude! Rios for Lincecum looks good now! Mike, Do you really think he will ever be 30hr.100rbi guy?What is these mental mistakes? Be truthful Have you ever had a gas station hotdog,Mike?
MW: I thik Rios has it in him to hit 30 home runs, but why don’t we see if he can get to five this season first? I’ve never had a gas station hot dog.
- steve wiltonA couple of things I recall about Whitt:
(1) Screwing up the score card(s)
(2) Watching Rios wander lonely as a cloud around first base while someone ahead of him and I can’t remember who noticed a passed ball and ran for third. Rios wasn’t the only person daydreaming on first base…
Manager? I don’t think so.
MW: It floored me that he would say that he’s the best manager they’ve never hired.
- reyesMike,
You still harping on the clutch hitting. I provide you with stats to show that is not where to focus but you didn’t listen. So here is what Bill James has to say.
“The manager who hopes to win the pennant by getting better performances “in the clutch” is like a man who hopes to get rich by making a few well-timed investments in the stock market. “See”, the man says “in the last two months RCVL stgock has gone from seventeen to thrity-seven and a quarter. Almlgamated Trench has gone from four and a quarter to thirteen in just eight days since they released their new computer. Now, if I just put a second mortage on my mother-in-law, bought 30,000 shares of RCVL in Feb on the margin, and put my IRS refund into Trench Mouth, well, I’d be on my way to being a wealth man now.” It’s litterally true; if you can consistently choose the right stock, you can make a fortune in the stock market – and if you can choose eactly the right moment to get exactly the right hit, you can win a pennant. ….But millionaries are not just guys who got lucky in the stock market , and anybody who thinks they are has got a zero chance of joining the club. And good ballteams are not just teams that hit in the clutch, and the same goes for any manager who thinks they are.”
– Bill James (J.P.’s God)
MW: I don’t understand how this stands in disagreement with anything I have said. I’m not looking for the Jays to “just” hit in the clutch. I’m looking for them to hit in the clutch just as well as they hit the rest of the time. Right now, they’re not hitting, but “just” in the clutch.
- JWI never said that Devon White was a good leadoff man, in fact I said the opposite. He had a .302 OBA in 1992. It is one of the reasons why I am against Cito coming back.
Eckstien is second on this team in OBA! I think that at least gives him consideration to lead off and not bat ninth. There is a huge difference between a .300 OBA and .360.
We are on the same page with Devon White, but Eckstein is a different breed altogether. No one on this team is better for the spot. I would bat Lyle second because of his power (to hit Eck home).
MW: But Lyle hits the ball on the ground so much. He’s a better obp guy.
- Jim BHi Mike, I just wanted to leave a comment about the re-hiring of Cito Gaston. I am absolutely thrilled Cito is back, not because I am a nostalgic Jays fan, but because I couldn’t sit and watch another game where John Gibbons sat glued to the dugout bench and showed no emotion. I am not saying “Gibby” was a bad guy or anything like that, he just looked like he would rather be mowing his lawn then managing a ball club. As a fan, he always seemed too laid back. I know that doesn’t win ball games, but motivation does. John Gibbons was a laid back manager who lacked the spark to rally a team when desperately needed. I’ve been a national level athlete for a long time and if there is one thing athletes need it is motivation and active coaching. Yes, athletes do most of this on their own during their careers. However, when the going gets tough a little pep talk or demonstration of emotion (ie. Getting in an umpires face, standing on the dugout steps, getting fired up!!!) especially to top level athlete speaks volumes. It shows us that the coach actually cares and believes in you. Which, brings me to my main point about why I am so happy Cito is back- Cito Gaston looks like he is in the game- ALWAYS HAS. Moreover, Cito Gaston has had a history of success. TWO WORLD SERIES!!!! And gene tenance- I love him. Anyways, I also like Cito because he is a 64 year old guy who loves Toronto and has stayed in great shape. I don’t need any more proof; this guy cares about his image and he has always cared about his team. In conclusion, I am glad Gibby is gone and whatever happens, at least we have a manager that looks like he cares about this team and will stand up for them now and again. Now… Get rid o JP. Who embarrassed our team on the radio if you re-call…. I don’t know how he can save face after that. Who would want to play here now?
MW: Lots of people, so long as the Jays’ cheques don’t bounce. I can’t believe the revisionist history here, though. One of the greatest complaints about Cito was that he always just sat there and didn’t do anything in the dugout.
- ScottC’mon Mike,
I don’t think that you are serious about answering are questions. But maby if the questions were really good
you would? Did you here the shocking news of the day. The Jays won??? Yes, I thought you might trade Wells and Rios for Bay, don’t forget, we rid ourselves of one big bad contract that we can pay Adam Dunn next year, but his response to JP was Juvenile which proves our GM right, a classy ball player would have said, “no comment” to some GM instead of calling him a clown.
MW: Given that I spend 4-6 hours a day answering these comments, I don’t think you can say I’m not serious about it.
- Grant LaryThat’s actually what I was going to bring up because I thought you would say that Friedman is just getting fat off Chuck LaMarr’s players. So good on you Mike.
What about Carlos Pena though? What about Dan Wheeler? Cliff Floyd? Eric Hinske? Troy Percival? All Friedman moves, and many are a huge part of why the Rays have been good this year.
What exactly don’t you agree with pertaining to my ranking of AL East GMs? Who should be second if not Friedman? A case could be made for Cashman, but again, I’d like to see what he does with a more limited payroll. What’s the story morning glory?
MW: It’s too early in Friedman’s tenure to put him up there, and what’s MacPhail done in Baltimore besides get a swell return for Erik Bedard? The grades for both would be WAY incomplete. Wheeler, Floyd, Hinske and Percival are all dime-a-dozen guys who happen to have worked out this year. Pena was a guy that Friedman waived at the end of Spring Training last season, and was only brought back because of an injury to Greg Norton – if you want to give Friedman credit for that, you can’t say that J.P. lucked into Marcum and McGowan. Cashman did a good job, but his clubs have still had way too many holes for a $200 million payroll.
- Jay MoneyMike … you said on Jaystalk today that your listeners didn’t like John Gibbons because of the way he talked. What??? You give us crap because of what we say or write, that is a generalization that just simply is not true. I have been blundt and open since the day JP was hired, he is simply in over his head, he will make a great assistant for some other team. Unfortunately, JG was simply a victim of circumstance, he needed to be put in a better position before managing. The caller who called in to say that maybe Cito will do better without JP dictating lineups and suggesting from afar I am certain that will end up being the case. It works for Billy Bean, but just like being a radio commentator isn’t for everyone, neither is being a GM.
Thank you for always standing by your convictions and providing us die hards a place to give our opinions, and taking the time to answer them. You have more earned more respect than you think you have.
MW: Thanks, I think. I didn’t say all my listeners didn’t like Gibby because of the way he talks, but I firmly believe that that was a big reason why a lot of the haters wanted him fired. They thought of him as an idiot hick.
- BobHey Mike
Love the blog, although my wife complains i’m spending too much time on the computer…
#25 (Ray) has a point. The Jays farm system is weak, with just 1 guy ranking in the top 100 in the minors (Snider). JP’s drafts have not been good, which is why the Jays minor system ranks near the bottom overall. Even our 1st selection this year (Cooper) has been described as a first baseman who will likely have to shift to the DH role because he is weak defensively. Cooper has not shown the ability to hit for power with wood bats and he is an average runner at best.
MW: It’s too early to make judgements on Cooper, for sure, and too early to pass judgement on the farm system. It doesn’t matter to me where the analysts rank the farm, it matters to me what it produces at the major-league level, and we won’t know that for years.
- rickAlthough I do like the move by JP to fire Gibbons and hire Cito I dont think that it will make them hit better this is a problem each individual hitter must asess themseveles.
MW: Good point, why wouldn’t you put your name to it?
- Jeremy Accardo“MW: I saw Ernie’s comments. I’m not allowed to say anything about Ernie. ”
Nice to see you finally admit to being a corporate shill. I saw your subsequent comment when someone asked the same question: a shot at Whitt. Funny, you took a shot at Gaston in your blog in his first game back.
Maybe you are aching to agree with the majority of callers and blog respondees who think that this management team sucks. We may never know, because I doubt you will ever have the clout that Bob McCowan has to say what he thinks, marketing and job security be damned.
MW: Oh, orders from on high have nothing to do with why I’m not allowed to say anything about Ernie. The esteemed Mr. Whitt himself made it very clear to me that he wasn’t to be criticized.
- Paul BSo your not allowed to comment on Whitt. Makes me wonder how objective your allowed to be on analysing the Jays. When the rest of the media ripped JP on the Dunn comments you called it good radio. There has been something fundementally wrong with this team for years. When a building collapses because of design errors, the architect takes the heat not the contractors. Someday I hope you are allowed to tell me what you really think of JP and his era as the Jays GM.
MW: See above – it has nothing to do with what anyone I work for has told me. I guess I expected you all to remember what I wrote back in the “Ernie Whitt for GM” call days.
- jasonMike,
A previous poster on a previous blog entry asked about what player to wrap your expansion franchise around. It triggered something. It’s now, what? 10 years since the last expansion and it seems to me that MLB expands about every decade or so (since the early 60s, with the Angels, Mets, etc.) So by my math, they’re due. Any buzz?
MW: No buzz. I wouldn’t bet on it in the near future.
- bgI didn’t think scoring 2 out 4 guys from 3rd with less than 2 outs was that bad, but then I saw the AL #s for that situation, and I was astonished. The whole league is clutch!
MW: It’s about 70% of runners who reach base with less than two outs that eventually score, no? More?
- AriHi Mike,
Love the blog and show. You truly go above and beyond.
Can’t go back in time, but if you think about it, why would JP have signed Stewart at LF and Scutaro as utility player?
Lind only had 290 AB’s last year. If you consider that a full time player will normally get around 600 AB’s, that would translate into roughly 22 HR, 92 RBI, and 28 2B’s. Regardless of his .238 average, that isn’t too bad. Those RBI’s sure would be nice to have. Sure he’s a lefty and so is Stairs, but he can drive the ball better than a Stewart and the Jays needed and obviously still need more power bats. Anyways, it looks as though it will work out that way in the end.
As for Scutaro, you can’t blame him. He’s pretty much performing the way he always has, which is fine, and he was a big contributor to the Jays’ May success. However, I remember thinking back to myself at the time of the Scutaro signing: “Why isn’t anyone giving this Inglett guy a shot”? It was sure a longshot for him to make the big club, with Eckstein, Scutaro and MacDonald in the mix. He did hit .285 in 200 AB’s with Cleveland, and hit about .300 last year in AAA. And now, he’s hitting .300 again with the Jays. He makes solid contact. Hope they make room for him to stay.
Thanks for the good work Mike. And I think the Jays are going to turn it around. Not enough to win the wildcard or division, but enough to make semi-interesting.
- Renemw,
Fantastic blog. It was great to finally see a little bit of power from the boys today. You could not ask for a better start from Adam Lind. Probably wishful thinking but Lind may be the type of call up that can jump start this dreadfully underachieving offense.
MW: You never know. Overbay, Rolen, Scutaro and Inglett did more today, but Lind sure didn’t hurt.
- kurt kHey Mike..I meant Chris Gomez..But I don’t think you can refute the facts..The Jays have no real hitting prospects in the minors and if they do why aren’t they here?..We always talk about Travis Snider but he is several seasons away..What about Ashes’ draft record?..I see a Roy Halladay,Alex Rios,Vernon Wells,Orlando Hudson,Reed Johnson, Michael Young..Who has Riccardi picked?..Russ Adams is gone..Zack Jackson is gone..There is Aaron Hill, Shawn Marcum and Jesse Litch..Not really impressive at all..
MW: But what had we seen out of Gord Ash seven years into his tenure here? My “intern” did the research last month, as I said. The answer is certainly none of Rios, Wells and Young, we didn’t even know who Hudson and Johnson were, and Halladay had just set the major-league record for highest ERA.
- RayHi Mike, Haste makes waste. Do you get paid for this blog?
Maby you should limit the questions to 50 a day? It’s the middle of summer and of course baseball fans LOVE to talk baseball, so that is not a good ideal, maby use a couple close friends to help you? Often I mention some small talk, then get to the important stuff and you ignore the GOOD stuff and respond to the small stuff. Which makes us feel when we begin to write will he understand us and respond to what is important??? To get a REAL answer to a question when we write, maby we should just focus on the main topic, then go to a resturant to gab. Do you know of such a blog as a baseball history blog, or a baseball gab gab blog?
MW: There are lots of baseball gab blogs. Truth is, I usually answer the stuff that’ll take less time, that I haven’t answered before, or that’s the least self-evident.
- Grant LaryHere’s something I think you can’t say Mike, or won’t, that needs saying:
All these clowns (I know, you disapprove of name-calling) who blunder in here and make snarky remarks about you being a cooperate schill (while undermining their own logic by noting other employees of the same company who speak freely) while knowing exactly zero about your working conditions or your personal situation do nothing but ruin the atmosphere of what is one the the hands down best blogs of it’s type on the net.
I Suspect very few sports fans have the opportunity to interact directly with someone who is as close to their favorite team as you are to the jays and instead of us all basking in that good fortune, these self appointed [self-censored] bozos think your valuable time and ours needs to be wasted with their insane consperacy theories and paranoia.
Here’s a news flash for you, Paul B et al – if you REALLY think you don’t get the straight dope from Mike because he is a corperate puppet,then why in the hairy hell do you even read his blog, let alone reply to it?
Show some class people.
MW: I wonder that myself. Not that I want to drive away readers but seriously, if you think so little of me, why are you here? Thanks for the kind words, Lefty.
- WillRainI know I’m getting a bit off topic, but I’m not sure you know who Dan Wheeler is. I’ve heard you constantly say that he’s not for real. Yeah, he’s not going to finish the year with a 1.82 ERA and he was awful last year, but before that he was a top setup man in Houston. It’s not like he hasn’t been a good reliever before.
Dime a dozen? Eric Hinske for a dime-a-dozen guy would be the #3 hitter on this team. I suppose BJ Ryan is also a dime-a-dozen – compare his numbers with Percival’s. I might give you Cliff Floyd, but for being a dime-a-dozen guy, his .817 OPS would still look pretty good in the Jays lineup, no?
And hey, you’re just adding to my point that Friedman is a good GM. He’s the architect of a contending team in the AL East at a total cost of $2.25
MW: Again, his core great players were there when he got there. He made some nice selections to fit in around them, but if anyone had been interested in Hinske or Floyd neither would have been available to TB. He made a nice grab scooping up Percival, but then again, the guy had been retired for a year and a half and prior to last year’s 40 innings, hadn’t had a great season since 2003. As for Wheeler, he’s been a pretty good set-up guy more often than not throughout his career, it’s true. But he’s not a make-or-break type. Seems to me that you love Friedman because his shots in the dark have come through in the first half of the season.
- Jay MoneyHey Mike,
From your comments about Whitt, it seems as though you are hinting at the fact that he specifically told you not to talk any smack about him.
Is this true? If it is true, I think that we would all appreciate some details.
MW: It’s true-ish, specifics weren’t said. I’m not sure I’m ready to burn that bridge right to the ground yet by revealing what actually happened.
- JasonAnd can you show me where I said JP lucked into Marcum and Litsch? I actually thought he handled the 2007 pitching staff perfectly, with the low risk signings of Thompson, Ohka and Zambrano. I never said he was a bad GM, I said he was average and I am of the belief that in this division, an average GM does not suffice. You seem to disagree.
MW: I think he’s had more moves on the pro side than on the con so far. I do think to win in this division you need a combination of good GMing and luck, leaning heavily on the luck.
- Jay MoneyMichael of the ballyard!
- Phillip ScolarigO jays go!
Reply to MW #51.
John Gibbons could not motivate Tiger Woods! To win you need a catalyst as a coach that pushes you even when you think you can do no more. You took some psych, you should know. Cito might not be the best pick, but he is FAR BEYOND JG in my books. Last time I checked Cito actually won a couple games. Some of which were even part of this thing called THE WORLD SERIES! Cool.
MW: Yes, winning the World Series is cool. Joe Torre won four of them, but was a complete bust as a manager in Atlanta and St. Louis and is currently under .500 with the Dodgers. Terry Francona was an idiot when he managed the Phillies. Cito didn’t do a thing with the Jays from 1994-97. You need the horses.
- scottMike, JP does not care about Canada. He does not know what it means to live in Canada. He dosn’t even care about his team. He goes to his hometown at every chance he gets if the blue jays arn’t playing at the rogers centre. Will this convince you JP does not care about the jays and tell me why?
MW: Why would that convince me that he doesn’t care about the Jays? Because he’s not there when they’re not there? That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t care if he cares about Canada, I care if he’s trying to build a winning team.
- antonHey Mike, Don’t you think JP’s comments towards Ernie a little uncalled for on JP’s end? “People have forgotten the fact that I put Ernie in the big leagues. He got a big league job because of me. I’m the one who pushed him to be on this staff. I don’t know what his comments were I just know that Ernie was a big league coach because of me”. He’s not showing much class on his end either.
JP hasn’t even said why he canned him…According to Ernie, JP never liked him, and never asked his opinion, so why did he even hire him? Also, look at Ernie getting shafted to 1B this year, has JP been trying to get to him for a while now?
BTW, isn’t Ernie Whitt a Canadian Citizen?
MW: I don’t think Ernie is a Canadian citizen, but I could very easily be wrong there. He still lives in Detroit. Ernie earned his shaftage to first base, and as far as the comments go, J.P. didn’t say anything that wasn’t true, did he?
- Justin CCan’t you see why people thought Gibbons was an idiot hick?
I can appreciate that he may not have been, but c’mon, it’s pretty obvious why people thought that.
MW: Because he spoke with an accent?
- RickWhy didn’t the Jays call me about the coaching vacancy?
After all I have produced the best winning record since the World Series years…
MW: But to hear you tell it, you’ve probably won three or four World Series since.
- Tim Johnson1 question, 1 comment:
Who would have been your choice for Manager?
Second, can’t wait to hear what Ernie said to you about not criticizing him. I gather from your continuous reference to him as “The Esteemed Mr. Whitt”, that you’re not enthused with what went down when he spoke to you, if he spoke to you at all.
MW: My choice for manager now, on an interim basis, would have been Brian Butterfield. Hiring Cito would never have occurred to me. I don’t know that you’ll ever find out what Whitt said to me, I don’t want to stoop.
- CamHI Mike, It didn’t help Gibby as a manager to tell the world how wonderful a man he thinks President Bush is. If Gibbons was from New London, Ohio, would he still think he was a wonderful man? No of course not because Ohio State always kicks Texas but. This admiration did not go over well with any player that was not from Texex. It’s better to keep your mouth shut – - -
Kapeach?
MW: That’s a bit of a stretch. Politics and sports don’t mix, I don’t think Gibby turned anyone against him because he’s a Republican. And seriously – kapeach?
- Grant LaryOkay Mike, we disagree with each other then. I’d rather have Friedman running this team and you’d probably rather have JP. I think more people agree with me than you, not that it really matters.
Just a quick thing, I thought MacPhail also did well in the Tejada trade. I’m a huge fan of Luke Scott and I thought the Jays should have gone after him, especially since it seemed Houston didn’t value him at all.
Bottom line, you seem to have implied that my initial ranking of the AL GMs is not accurate. How would you rank them?
MW: I think that the grades on Friedman and MacPhail have to be incomplete, like I said. I like Luke Scott, too, but I really thought J.P. should have gone after Carlos Quentin in the off-season.
- Jay MoneyJust to inform you, the man claiming to be Tim Johnson was not the REAL Tim Johnson. You will be hearing from my attorneys (who also represent Ernie Whitt, in case you didn’t know.)
MW: Again, I continue to not get this.
- The Real Tim JohnsonMike, disregard # 75, ” Gibbys Love for fellow Texan Bush” This just crossed my mind back in April when we won a grand total of 11 wins which I thought would turn out to be 66 for the season, then something happenned in May??? Confidence? Remember in all team sports the game is 90% mental. I have heard this for decades, have you heard the same thing? I ask because different generations hear different things. UR a generation below me. You never knew Lyle Alzado played for Cleveland? Give me mean stupid players in football that will take a big bite out of the other team players rear, but in baseball we need heady players. BTW. back in the 60′s when $100,000 was top dollar (Mantle and Mays) Al Kaline of Detroit was offered $100,000, he tore it up – - – He said he wasn’t worth that much. See how time changes things, and these guys who Love to go on the DL spread the word to other players why they should too and how easy it is.(THE BIG DOC NOTE)
- Grant LaryAJ won’t this year because he is counting on one more big contract from some other GM idiot. Heed these words here in June 08, by 2010, AJ will be finished, but still collecting a ton of money!
i think everytime JP opens his mouth his nose grows a little bigger and the rat that lives inside him human skin comes closer to bursting out. Im sorry, you do not talk smack about Ernie Whitt, in Toronto, when you dont even live in Toronto. Cmon MW, that is not cool…AT ALL
MW: Why is Ernie Whitt above criticism? Because he was a Blue Jay for a long time?
- slobberfaceLast year I attended a corporate function at Rogers Center a game or two after Hillenbrand fiasco – guest speaker Ernie Whitt.
From his own mouth he is not a Canadian citizen, and who really cares?
MW: Many seem to.
- CJSThere is a difference between critiquing somebody and stating YOU MADE THEM…JP is a weasel
- slobberfaceIsn’t it strange how everybody thinks Cito is this all-interactive coach as opposed to Gibby, but I also recall him driving fans crazy by just sitting there. How many times the camera would pan over to Cito in the dugout and he would be sitting there chewing sunflower seeds instead of showing the slightest indication of awarness that a managerial act was required at the time. Drove me nuts! Fact is, Cito has his own head about things and you can’t pressure him into making moves whose timing is not right in his opinion.
MW: Memories fade after 11 years, people remember that Cito won, therefore he must have been jumping up and down and pacing the dugout all the time.
- Vito From Hamilton“if you think so little of me, why are you here?”
I’ve answered this before, but there’s that small little tidbit of you having a monopoly on Jays call-in shows. And the fact that this is the most “mainstream” Jays blog that gets comments from a lot of fans. But please, feel free to ask over and over again.
“I don’t know that you’ll ever find out what Whitt said to me, I don’t want to stoop.”
Yeah, because all of the other ”subtle” jabs weren’t stooping at all..
MW: Right.
- Dan WHi Mike, C’mon, one game? Tonight we are already o for 2 innings. Back to reality. Why is Gaston ignoring Eckstein and J-Mac. Does JP have the balls to be on your show tonight after his hideous statements last week?
Please tell JP I said he said NOTHING wrong!!! If I was him, there would be NO Wed night talk in 2009 if I was JP. I hope UR right, I’d love to see the Jays score 14 runs again tonight, but last night they scored so many runs because the Red Legs MGR fell asleep in the first two innings. God Bless!
MW: It was Dusty Baker’s fault the Jays scored 11? That’s a new one.
- Grant LaryOh Yeah, the Canadian who helped them win the 1992 world series is Rob Ducey who inspired to everybody to play harder.
- anton